


Surprise Isn't Only For The Living

by ever_neutral



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-11
Updated: 2011-04-11
Packaged: 2017-10-17 22:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/181978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ever_neutral/pseuds/ever_neutral
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Elena expels a long-suffering sigh. (A smile pricks at the corners of her mouth.) “It’s Stefan’s idea. Put it down to brotherly bonding.”</i> </p><p>Stefan and Elena throw Damon a surprise birthday party. Fluffy nonsense.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Surprise Isn't Only For The Living

It’s half past six when Damon returns. Stefan is alert to the exact moment he does: aside from the typically dramatic slamming of the front door, the air itself seems to shift to make room for the older Salvatore; the house silently groans with the weight.

_(Damon Salvatore is a boy who refuses to be missed.)_

“You know, it neeeever fails to amaze me, the mouth on that _Caroline_.”

He saunters into the living room, leather jacket flying over the back of the sofa and landing over Stefan’s head. Damon apparently doesn’t notice.

“ _You’re_ taking her out next time. I’ve had enough adolescent female babbling to last an eternity. Which is… how long she could probably keep talking.” Damon shudders melodramatically, and downs his glass of O negative.

Stefan quietly removes the jacket from his head, turns to face his brother. “Damon.”

“ _Stefan_ ,” comes the non-committal retort.

Stefan smiles, a near-smirk. “I know what tomorrow is.”

“Why yes, Stefan,” Damon drawls. “That would be the day the English-speaking world commonly refers to as ‘Tuesday’. Do I also get to grin like a maniac now? Because I can do that.” He demonstrates.

Stefan swallows a guffaw. “Fine, if you want to be that way.”

“Be what way, Stefan?” Damon’s face is a mockery of innocence. “I’m just being the way I am, brother. And right now, what I am is all tapped out of patience for bad conversation, so – “ He rattles his car keys, a mini-cacophony. “ -- you’ll just have to be vague and self-satisfied on your own.”

Heads back out, much like he came in, the same manner of deafening indifference.

( _\-- But he could care less if you notice._ )

Stefan notices. _Damon would never allow him not to._

~

Elena Gilbert is always beautiful, but especially so when she laughs.

“Seriously? For _Damon_?”

Stefan would like her to save her laughter for later. _For a special occasion._

He grins, a cat laying a mousetrap. “Come on, it’ll be worth it, just to see the look on his face.”

The strange -- _yet familiar_ \-- glint in her eye informs him that it’s a persuasive argument.

Contrary to the belief of some ( _whom he’d kill before invite_ ), Stefan knows that Elena is no stranger to fun.

*

Caroline Forbes is nothing if not honest. It’s one of the things Elena loves most about her --

“We’re gonna _what_?”

Elena expels a long-suffering sigh. (A smile pricks at the corners of her mouth.) “It’s Stefan’s idea. Put it down to brotherly bonding.”

“Well, I think it’s a terrible idea. It’ll be a bust. The guy doesn’t even _have_ friends.”

\-- _But Elena will be the first to recognize that she’s not always right._

*

“Is this seriously happening?”

Elena is glad to be reminded that her brother can still smile.

She rifles through her closet. “Stefan can be very persuasive.”

Jeremy is chuckling, a sound somewhere between spite and joy. “I can’t believe it.”

Elena holds a dark grey top up against her herself, glances at the mirror. “Neither can I.”

A pause as she mentally rejects the grey one, looks for something brighter instead.

Then –

“Can I come?”

*

The Salvatores’ living room is bursting with life. _Which is a nice change from the usual_ , Stefan observes.

Of course, a huddled mass of humans from half the town’s population ‘shhh’-ing at each other in the dark is as graceful as... one would expect. But it means something that they’d try.

Stefan is proud to be ( _wrongfully_ ) considered one of them.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Bonnie mutters to Elena. Stefan can virtually hear her rolling her eyes. “This is the kind of thing you do for people who’ll actually _appreciate_ it.”

Elena exhales audibly. “Probably. But – “ Her tone is wistful. “—Damon can be surprising.”

There’s no time for elaboration, as Stefan hears his brother approaching the front door. He signals the rest of the room, which miraculously falls silent.

The second hand of the clock provides an audible pulse as they wait:

 _One_ , the expected slam of the door. _Two_ , a breath and a pause. (It won’t be a complete surprise, the scent is overwhelming.) _Three_ , the singsong greeting. (“Oh, Steeeefan.”)

 _Four_ , the deafening reply of the crowd. ( _“SURPRISE!”_ )

( _Damon’s face is the genuine article of it._ )

He composes himself quickly -- no less than Stefan would expect. Shoots a withering glare at his brother, eyebrow arching, lips mouthing a death threat of some extravagant fashion.

Stefan grins, teeth flashing. Mouths back. “You’re welcome.”

~

The day might not belong to him, but Stefan feels more complete than if it did. If anyone notices the foolish grin on the younger Salvatore’s face all night, they don’t mention it.

Damon notices.

_Stefan would never allow him not to._


End file.
